24/7 Wall St. reviewed the tax return audit rates for more than 3,000 counties, equivalent jurisdictions and independent municipalities in order to pinpoint where audits are most common in each state. Nationally, the IRS audits about 7.7 returns for every 1,000 returns filed, the study said.

The audit rate for filers in Sioux County was 9.5 per 1,000 tax returns.

The poverty rates for 43 out of the 50 jurisdictions listed by 24/7 Wall St. were higher than the state’s overall poverty rate, the analysis found. That goes against common perceptions that wealthier Americans are more often targeted in IRS audits, according to the study.

The analysis pointed to a 2018 report by the nonprofit group ProPublica that found low-income, working-class households claiming the earned income tax credit are disproportionately audited, the study said.

Sioux County has a median household income of $40,795 and a poverty rate of

37.1 percent. The percentage of residents in Sioux County with bachelor’s degrees is 17.3.

---

Most Audited Jurisdiction by State

State

County / Jurisdiction

Audits per 1,000 Tax Returns

Median Household Income

Poverty Rate

Adults with a Bachelor's Degree

Alabama

Greene County

10.9

$20,954

38.8%

11.4%

Alaska

Kusilvak Census Area

9.4

$36,468

39.1%

4.9%

Arizona

Santa Cruz County

10.0

$39,630

21.8%

22.1%

Arkansas

Phillips County

10.2

$26,652

33.0%

11.3%

California

Imperial County

9.7

$44,779

23.8%

14.3%

Colorado

Saguache County

9.5

$34,765

21.0%

26.0%

Connecticut

Fairfield County

8.2

$89,773

8.8%

46.5%

Delaware

Sussex County

7.4

$57,901

12.0%

25.1%

Florida

Miami-Dade County

9.1

$46,338

19.0%

27.8%

Georgia

Calhoun County

10.8

$29,617

32.2%

9.4%

Hawaii

Hawaii County

8.1

$56,395

17.4%

28.6%

Idaho

Butte County

9.3

$43,207

16.2%

15.5%

Illinois

Alexander County

8.8

$31,014

33.4%

10.7%

Indiana

Marion County

7.8

$44,869

19.8%

29.7%

Iowa

Ringgold County

8.5

$50,642

10.9%

20.1%

Kansas

Sheridan County

9.3

$56,607

4.8%

24.6%

Kentucky

Clay County

9.9

$24,596

39.5%

9.5%

Louisiana

East Carroll Parish

11.4

$20,795

48.2%

9.8%

Maine

Washington County

7.9

$40,328

18.2%

20.9%

Maryland

Baltimore

8.3

$46,641

22.4%

30.4%

Massachusetts

Nantucket County

7.6

$91,942

11.2%

45.1%

Michigan

Wayne County

8.1

$43,702

23.7%

22.8%

Minnesota

Mahnomen County

8.4

$42,439

22.7%

12.1%

Mississippi

Humphreys County

11.8

$26,188

40.5%

13.6%

Missouri

Pemiscot County

9.5

$32,468

28.5%

12.0%

Montana

Big Horn County

9.6

$47,276

26.8%

17.6%

Nebraska

Greeley County

9.5

$47,218

9.8%

17.3%

Nevada

Clark County

7.7

$54,882

14.6%

23.3%

New Hampshire

Coos County

7.3

$45,386

13.3%

18.3%

New Jersey

Essex County

8.4

$57,365

16.7%

34.0%

New Mexico

McKinley County

10.2

$30,336

37.5%

10.8%

New York

Bronx County

9.1

$36,593

29.7%

19.4%

North Carolina

Edgecombe County

9.3

$32,929

24.6%

11.6%

North Dakota

Sioux County

9.5

$40,795

37.1%

17.3%

Ohio

Adams County

8.0

$36,320

23.8%

12.1%

Oklahoma

Adair County

9.4

$33,366

30.8%

13.6%

Oregon

Sherman County

8.5

$42,074

13.7%

17.6%

Pennsylvania

Philadelphia County

8.4

$40,649

25.8%

27.1%

Rhode Island

Providence County

7.5

$52,530

16.7%

27.8%

South Carolina

Allendale County

10.3

$23,331

30.4%

9.4%

South Dakota

Oglala Lakota County

11.2

$27,804

51.9%

12.4%

Tennessee

Lake County

9.3

$31,993

29.9%

9.4%

Texas

Starr County

10.4

$27,133

35.0%

9.7%

Utah

Rich County

9.0

$52,917

18.0%

22.8%

Vermont

Essex County

8.0

$38,767

15.5%

14.7%

Virginia

Emporia city

9.6

$27,426

30.9%

15.3%

Washington

Garfield County

8.4

$51,399

11.7%

23.0%

West Virginia

McDowell County

8.6

$25,595

34.9%

4.9%

Wisconsin

Menominee County

9.2

$38,080

35.8%

15.9%

Wyoming

Niobrara County

8.8

$36,793

14.9%

18.3%

Source: 24/7 Wall St.

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